Lawyers Ignore Broward Opening

December 24, 1998|BY DAVID FLESHLER Staff Writer

Broward County officials tried to restore calm and get on with business Wednesday in the aftermath of an ugly County Commission meeting.

The latest interim county attorney convened a meeting to reassure his staff, following the public humiliation and forced resignation of his predecessor. The county embarked on its third search for a county attorney, made more difficult by the strife in the commission chambers. And commissioners talked about what they could do to work better together.

Noel Pfeffer, who took over on Tuesday as interim county attorney, said he plans to be a caretaker and make no major changes. And he had no plans to rehire the four lawyers fired under the three-week reign of his predecessor, Russell Morrison.

Morrison was forced to resign on Tuesday after enduring more than an hour of abuse from county commissioners about his decision to remove a critical section from contracts with two law firms, without telling the commission. The section, called an indemnity clause, was to protect the county from acts of negligence by the firms.

Morrison's resignation followed the resignation of Sharon Cruz, the previous interim county attorney, after commissioners lambasted her in public because the county lost a multimillion lawsuit to Hollywood.

The commission has lacked a permanent county attorney since May, when longtime County Attorney John Copelan, under fire for his role in the county's purchase of land at Port Everglades, resigned.

The commission's repeated attacks on the county's staff have led to increased tension among employees, several workers said.

No one argued that Morrison had not made a serious mistake. But the long public humiliation he endured, with each commissioner weighing in to say how deeply disappointed he or she was in his conduct, struck some county employees as unseemly.

"They've got to stop these public floggings," said a professional employee, who asked to remain anonymous. "They can't keep chopping people to mincemeat up there."

The repeated attacks on whoever sits in the county attorney's chair can only make it tougher to recruit anyone for the job. The county has conducted two unsuccessful searches and has launched a third effort with a legal search firm hired on Tuesday for $25,000.

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs said she was optimistic about finding a good lawyer. The commission has learned from its mistakes in past negotiations -- such as peppering candidates with phone calls, rather than letting one person speak for them -- and will do a better job, she said.

Commission Auditor Norm Thabit, in charge of the attorney search, said the county can recruit a good lawyer, but only by offering more money and a contract.

"They've boxed themselves in because of the working conditions," he said. "I've never seen a position like that be so hard to fill. Usually the county attorney's position is a very well-respected, highly sought-after position."

Thabit said the commission unfairly beat up on Cruz over the Hollywood lawsuit. Commissioners berated her for not informing them of settlement offers, even though commission meeting minutes revealed that she had.

"That wasn't Sharon's fault," Thabit said. "I think what happened was it looked bad for the county, and they reacted accordingly. I think the commission could use better judgment when they're dealing with people who are trying to help them."

Commissioner Scott Cowan, who raised the questions about Morrison's work, called Tuesday's meeting a "watershed event."

Ideally, he said, the meeting will force commissioners to look into themselves and see what they can do to get along better with their colleagues.

Asked what he could do, he said he could make fewer "cutting or biting remarks" from the dais.